Soccer|FIFA Panel Bans and Fines Former Russian Soccer Official for Ethics Breach

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FIFA Panel Bans and Fines Former Russian Soccer Official for Ethics Breach

By Reuters

Sept. 13, 2019

ZURICH — A FIFA panel has banned former Russian soccer official Alexander Shprygin from taking part in any soccer-related activities for two years after its independent Ethics Committee said he had breached its code.

Shprygin, a former member of the Executive Committee of the Football Union of Russia, broke rules on discrimination in media statements and social media posts published in 2014 and 2015, FIFA said. He was also fined 10,000 Swiss francs (£8,135).

Shprygin told Reuters he was aware of the ban against him but had yet to receive an official notification from FIFA.

"It came as a surprise to me," he said.

Shprygin was among a group of Russian fans expelled from France after violent clashes before and during Russia's 2016 European Championship match against England in Marseille.

He managed to re-enter France later in the tournament, only to be expelled again.

Last year Shprygin was denied a World Cup fan ID, a document that proved its holder had been vetted and approved by security officials to attend World Cup matches.

($1 = 0.9875 Swiss francs)

(Reporting by John Revill; Additional reporting by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber; Editing by Michael Shields and Toby Davis)